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Gonta is truly worried about the lack of bugs in this place. No place he’s ever been has been so devoid of life, and Gonta has been some very isolated places. But there were always insects, friends, to look at, to talk to. To confide in. Gonta feels he needs that more than ever and yet, no bugs.
Even besides his loneliness though, what happened to them? Are the bugs that must have been here once okay? Did Monokuma extract them? The thought makes him swell with rage. What he would usually do when he felt like this is well, talk to bugs. But he’s alone here. Completely, for the first time. Not for the first time though, he wished he looked more approachable. He really likes the people here with him, and he wishes there was a way to connect with people as easy he can with bugs.
“Ah, Gonta! Do you have a minute?” A voice comes from behind Gonta, where he’d been crouched in the grass.
He turns to see Shuichi walking towards him, easy smile in place.
“Shuichi! Of course! What can Gonta do for you?” He stands up turning towards him.
“Ah, well I wondered if you’d want to hang out? I totally get it if you’re busy but-“ Shuichi is cut off by Gonta.
“Gonta would love to! This place is very strange without bugs, Gonta was hoping he could hang out with someone!” He says it so enthusiastically he worries it will put Shuichi off, but he just smiles wider at Gonta, seemingly delighted.
Shuichi seems to only want to be in someone’s company, so Gonta mostly takes the lead, pulling him around the garden looking for bugs and exploring the library’s many bug-related books. Gonta would worry about annoying him, like he does in most other situations, but every time the thought enters his mind, he looks to Shuichi and only see interested acceptance. Shuichi listens to his stories of home and never once says he’s lying or making it up.
It takes a bit, but Gonta realizes, maybe Shuichi is the first friend he’s made who was also human. The first person to actually see him, not as a strong man, a scary man or even just an annoying one, but just as Gonta.
It’s not long after that, that Gonta starts to… Imagine things. He knows it’s not gentlemanly, the opposite in fact but, he can’t help it!
He imagines as they walk together down the garden path, maybe, slipping his hand beside Shuichi’s, softly holding it. He thinks about carrying him from the training sessions with Kaito, when he sees Shuichi try to walk and stumble, exhausted, back to his dorms. He wonders what Shuichi would do if Gonta even, maybe, kissed his cheek.
The thought makes his face so red he has to splash cold water on his cheeks, just to get it under control. He feels guilty for taking advantage of his friend. His very best friend.
Not only that but, despite what people may think, Gonta isn’t dumb. He knows how Shuichi felt about Kaede, and how very unlikely it is he feels different now. Even if somehow Shuichi, doesn’t feel that way anymore, Gonta is a very different person from Kaede. Its impossible for Shuichi to feel the way Gonta feels about him, and so Gonta decides he need to fix it.
Gonta will have to, maybe spend some more time by his self. It will be hard to turn down any offer to be beside Shuichi but. Gonta will endure it. What he’s been doing is beyond un-gentlemanly, and he will not stand by it any more.
So, the next day, when he’s tinkering with one of the bug collectors in his research lab, and Shuichi asks to read with him, Gonta has to quietly say that’d he’d rather be alone actually.
“Ah- I see! I’m sorry Gonta, that must be very delicate work! I’ll try again another time.” And he does. Keeping up with the pattern they’d fallen into, Shuichi tries at least once a day to spend time with him.
He doesn’t only spend time with Gonta, far from it. But Gonta is the only one he’s with everyday.
It makes it harder for everyone not to notice, when that isn’t the case anymore. In the end, it’s only three days before Shuichi corners him, right before Gonta had been about to leave his research lab, as nighttime had struck.
“Gonta, do you want to take a walk before we head to the dorms?” He looks determined, and unshakable. Gonta tries anyway though.
“Actually, Gonta is very tired. Long day in lab you know.” If Gonta’s morals were less ironclad, maybe he would have pushed past Shuichi then, as he was entirely blocking the door. But as it is, Gonta can only stand there and hope Shuichi moves on his own.
“Gonta-“ He walks slightly further in, which forces Gonta back a few steps,” Did I do something? Why don’t you want to hang out with me any more?”
Gonta feels small, then. It’s a rare feeling for him, and even rarer an unwelcome one. He’s made Shuichi feel as though its his fault, like he could do anything to make Gonta not want to be around him. It’s so far in the opposite direction that Gonta panics.
“N-no! Of course not! Gonta always want to hang out with Shuichi!” He gently grasps one of Shuichi’s hands, in both of his, the comparison almost laughable.
“It’s just, Gonta is h-having, impure th-thoughts..” He can barely get out the sentence without feeling like he’s bursting into flames, and why did he think holding Shuichi’s hand would be a good idea?
Shuichi’s face looks how Gonta’s feels, and this is so un-gentlemanly he could cry.
“Then you were,” He coughs a little,”busy, instead of hanging out with me?” He still looks embarrassed, but also a little confused and sad.
“You could have told me you had a crush on someone! Who is it anyway?” His smile looks forced, but thats the least of his worries then.
Gonta squeezes his eyes shut, so embarrassed he can barely stand it, on top of the guilt he feel at what he’s about to say.
“Gonta l-likes Shuichi! He knows it is long-shot b-but! He doesn’t want Shuichi to think there is anyone but Shuichi! T-theres only Shuichi!”
He can feel his heart beating nearly out of his chest, can hear his and Shuichi’s and Gonta’s breathing in the still room. It’s like the world has stopped.
He finally gets the courage to open his eyes a moment later and, Shuichi is, bright, nearly fluorescent red.
Shuichi might, also be-“S-shuichi are you crying!? I-I’m so sorry, this is so un-gentlemanly, Gonta will do his best to forget feelings, he promis-“
Gonta is cut of by what is most certainly, his very first kiss. Shuichi has to get on the very tips of his toes, and even then he’s still pulling Gonta a bit to meet him.
It’s like floating, like every sad thing in Gonta’s life was traded for the happiness he feels now.
He can barely contain it, barely stand it.
He unfortunately breaks the kiss to ask, “Shuichi, d-does this mean Shuichi also l-likes Gonta?” He thinks he knows the answer but he would rather not make a mistake. and assume where he shouldn’t.
“Of course it does Gonta! I’ve liked you for so long, when you didn’t want to see me anymore, I thought you hated me and it just.. hurt so bad I realized what it meant. I really like you Gonta.” Then Gonta, really can’t contain the happiness, he then picks Shuichi up then by the waist, spinning him gently, and laughing full of joy.
Shuichi start to laugh too, soft and sweet. Gonta realizes he can now really do all the things he’s imagined and the power clearly goes to his head, when he decides to gently kiss Shuichi’s cheek, just as he’d always wanted to.
The smile it brings to Shuichi’s face though, is better than anything he’d imagined.